I was in a parallel universe only a couple of days ago. I was walking in down town Sacramento and a man walked by, he did a double-take, staring at me with a big smile.
"I know you! I saw you a week or two ago and I thought, 'I think I know that woman!'"
I stared at him. My brain registered - oh, it's Ron! I went to Hawaii with Ron and Jeannie two months ago in December.
I said, "Hi Ron!", gave him a hug, all the while staring at him, thinking... wait a minute... this isn't Ron, is it? Where did all the grey hair come from? Those are Ron's eyes and face but he seems somehow different.
The man said, in an impressed voice, "You remembered my name. But give me a minute... your name is?"
So now I'm buggin'. Ron has lost his mind - doesn't know who he is. He can't remember that we went to Hawaii together in December. No - he must be teasing me. Yeah, that's it, Ron has a great sense of humour. He's pulling my leg, taking the mickey, winding me up.
"Wha....?" My mouth says, without my permission, "you don't remember me from December Ron? It's me, Claire."
It was spooky. For one wild minute I had actually thought of how in SciFi someone jumps hyper space & ten or twenty years have gone by and yet I remained the same. Really spooky feeling and I actually considered it for a few fleeting seconds, which means, yes. I am now certifiably MENTAL.
So he talked and finally the lights slowly went on in that space between my ears. I started off thinking he worked here in Sacto when I was with Registration, and then slowly, like ice crystals forming on a skillet in the equator, I remember - He is Ron, a different Ron - he worked in for California Food & Ag when I worked in Riverside (Claire takes a second to spit over left shoulder to fend off evil spirits of Riverside).
A different Ron, Ceres-Ron, who could pass for the Hawaii-Ron's uncle or older brother.
And I gave this long lost aquaintance a friendly kiss on the cheek! Gawd, he must have thought I was an oh-so-friendly lunatic!
Ceres-Ron filled me in on all the news of who from CDFA that we knew had heart attacks, who died, who unfortunately is still alive (old boss J.C. who was an arsehole if there ever was one). In short, all the nice guys died, and all the arse holes are still alive because the other side doesn't want them around either.
That was a quite scary little street meeting. Oh gawd. Since both Ron's are Asian, several unfortunate jokes come to mine, but I'll be a grown-up just now and STFU.
